Last gasp Barnard strike snatches the points

Yeovil 0, Saints 1
After their rampant win at Bristol Rovers, Southampton’s Westcountry tour continued with a splendid opening from the same starting XI at Yeovil. However, once McCarthy had scrambled away an early Lambert header, the sort of chances that had produced a big win earlier in the week weren’t being created at New Huish Park.
After a dominant opening 30 minutes, an element of sloppiness almost inevitably crept into Saints’ play and Davis had to save well and Yeovil finish badly to keep things level at half time.
But it wasn’t a poor performance and the introduction of Barnard for Antonio at the interval was a surprise. Losing Antonio’s pace (and those long throws) made a Southampton goal seem less rather than more likely, and the situation became critical when Schneiderlin was frustrated at the lack of a whistle when he lost out to Williams. Morgan then took the law into his own hands with a gratuitous kick at the Yeovil man, with the inevitable result as the match odd swung in favour of the home team. However a single point would have done little for the club’s play-off ambitions so Alan Pardew made the brave, some would say foolhardy, move of introducing Connolly and N’Diaye for Hammond and Ostemobor.
Fortune favoured the foolhardy when Papa produced an added time cross that found several Saints lining up at the far post, with Barnard getting there first to head home the winner. Only just the winner, though, as Yeovil managed one last attack – but the ten men held firm.LSSC Man of the Match:Kelvin Davis, although he was more or less a spectator for much of the first third.

Alan Pardew: “It’s one of those days as a manager that you’ll remember – and you won’t forget this game. Now we’ve got the win it’s him (Morgan Schneiderlin) whose going to suffer. He’s had one or two incidents before this year with his indiscipline and he’s got to lose that streak he’s got in him.”